Valve for high-pressure-fluid containers



n; L MUELLER.

VALVE ron HIGH PRESSURE FLUiD CQNTAINERS.

APPLICATION min v4.10. 191s. 7 1,345,388.

Patented July 6, 1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH J. J. MUELLER, 0F SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR To UNIVERSAL OXYGEN COMPANY, or SHEBOYGAN, wIscoNsIN, A CORPORATION or wrs- CONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1920.

Application filed January 10. 1918. Serial-No. 211,129.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUnoLrH J. J. MUEL- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Sheboygan, in the county of Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for High-Pressure-Fluid Containers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part. thereof.

This invention relates more particularly to valves for the drums, cylinders or receptacles in which gases of various kinds, such as hydrogen or oxygen, are held under high pressure.

The main objects of the invention are to provide such a valve which will not leak when closed, can be easily opened and closed by hand without a wrench, requires no stuffing box, will not allow gas to escape around the stem when the valveis open, and has provision to prevent the gas pressure toexceed a certain limit; and generally to simplify and improve the construction and operation of valves of this class.

It consists in the constructlon, arrangement andcombmation of parts as hereinafter particularly described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanyingdrawing like characters designate the same parts in both figures.

Flgure 1 IS an anal sectlon of a valve plan view of the valve head. The device comprises a case a, forme with a chamber 1), a screwthreaded neck 0, for attachment to a gas drum, cylinder or receptacle,'indica'ted by dotted lines in Fig.

1, a lateral service connection d, a lateral nipple e, a passage f which may be designated as the inlet passa e, extending axially through the neck into t e lower end of the chamber 6, a passage 9' which may be designated as the outlet passage, leading from one side of the chamber 6 into the service connection d, and a branch passage h leading from the passage f through the nipple e. The service connection d may be internally threaded as shown, externally or oppositely threaded, or otherwiseconstructed for the convenient attachment -to the valve case of a special fitting with a reducing valve and delivery hose or pipe (not shown) for each particular kind of gas .wlnch a receptacle may contain, the peculiar construction of the service connection and special fitting thus determining the k nd of gas in a receptacle and avoiding mistakes and accidents.

The valve case a is provided at its upper end with a closure, consisting in the present case as shown, of a plug'i, threaded in an opening which is of somewhat larger diameter than the upper part of the chamber 1) and forms therewith an internal shoulder inthe case.

A cylindrical valve head 7', threaded in the lower part of the chamber 6, which is of somewhat smaller diameter than the upper part of the chamber, is formed i-nits lower end with a recess or cavity containing a packing disk of soft metal or other suitable material, adapted to conform to and close tightly upon an annular rib or raised seat Z,-surrounding the opening of the pasis squared adjacent to its upper end, which projects above the plug or closure, and ter- Inmates in a reduced threaded portion 12, provided with a flanged nut o. The stem m has an enlargement at its lower end forming a shoulder with an upwardly projecting annular rib p concentric with the axis of the stem and adapted to bear against a pack ing washer I] held between the plug or closure i and the internal shoulder in the case a, thereby making a tight joint between the valve case and plug or closure andalso between the enlarged end of the stem and the plug or closure.

A handle r, having a square hole loosely fittingon the square end of the stem m, is supported with an interposed anti-friction washer a" of vulcanized fiber or other suitable material upon the plug or closure 71. The handle is formed around the stem with an upwardly opening recess, and a spiral spring 8 interposed between the handle and a spring seat and housing it held by the nut 0 on the upper end of the stem'within the recess of the handle, tends to shift the stem upwardly in the plug or closure 2' and holds the rib p tightly against the packing washer 9, thereby preventing leakage from the chamber 12 around the valve stem when the valve is opened, and avoiding the necessity of providing a stuflin box and packing, which if compressed su ciently to insure against leakage, would interfere with the free operation of the stem and valve head.

The valve head 7' and stem m are formed axially with a loose tongue and socket, turning connection for screwing the head up and down in the case a, to open and close the valve without disturbing the joint between the ribbed shoulder on the stem and the packing washer g.

The tongue u may be formed on either part. In the present case it is formed on the head 7' and is of oblong rounded shape in cross section, consisting of a central cylindrical portion intersected on opposite sides by cylindrical wings c of smaller diameter, as shown in Fig. 2. The socket-w, which is of corresponding shape in cross section, is formed in the other part, in the present case the enlarged lower end of the stem m.

With this form of tongue and socket a strong turning connection between the valve 'plug and stem is made and one which Will not cramp, bind, stick or Work as hard as a tongue and socket of angular form, sothat the valve can be easily opened and closed by hand without a wrench or other tool.

To avoid accidents resulting from excessive pressure in the drum, cylinder or receptacle, the valve is provided with a safety device consisting of a frangible disk w of copper or other suitable material clamped with a packing washer y by a screw cap 2 to the nipple e. The cap 2 is formed with an opening communicating with the atmosphere and registering with the opening in the washer y, which in turn registers with the passage h in the valve case, the area of the openings in the cap and washer and the thickness and strength of the interposed disk being such that the disk will be ruptured and allow gas to escape whenever from any cause the gas pressure rises to a certain limit determined by the exposed area, thickness and strength of the disk.

With the construction and arrangement of parts shown, the valve operating stem m,

handle 1" and associated parts may be readily removed from the case a with the plug 6 for inspection, repair or other purpose, such, as preventing tampering with the valve especially when it is applied to a charged drum or receptacle, the valve head jremaining tightly closed on its seat Z and practically inaccessible.

The terms inlet and outletas hereinbefore applied to the passages f and g, are merely for the purpose of distinction, since in charging a drum, cylinder or receptacle with gas, the flow is in a reverse direction,

the passage 9 then servingas an inlet to and v tatably mounted in the case in axial alinement with said head, the stem and head being formed axially one with a socket and the other with a tongue of corresponding shape freely fitting the socket and consisting of a cylindrical central portion intersected by cylindrical wings of smaller diameter on opposite sides thereof.

In witness whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

RUDOLPH J. J. MUELLER. 

